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With 30th save, Kimbrel joins exclusive club

With 30th save, Kimbrel joins exclusive club

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Craig Kimbrel

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ATLANTA -- With a perfect ninth inning in the Braves' 2-1 victory over the Phillies on Saturday night, Craig Kimbrel earned his 30th save of the season. Kimbrel, who led the National League with 46 saves last season, joins Mark Wohlers and John Smoltz as the only Braves with at least 30 saves in back-to-back seasons.

Kimbrel said that it means a lot to him to join such exclusive company in his second full season in the Major Leagues, but he sees saves as a team stat.

"It means our team is playing a lot of close games, we're in a lot close games and we're winning a lot of ballgames," Kimbrel said. "If we didn't play winning baseball, I wouldn't have those opportunities."

Kimbrel has dominated hitters this season, accumulating 67 strikeouts in 40 innings, with an ERA of 1.35.